A police officer is leaving his beat behind to paddle 600 miles down a river in one of the most remote parts of the world.
John Nicol, 39, will canoe along the Yukon River from Whitehorse, in Canada, through the Yukon Territory to Eagle, in Alaska.
The epic voyage, which will involve 16 days of hard graft in the canoe and 15 nights of camping wild, will raise money for the Samaritans and Cancer Research UK.
Mr John and his nine team mates will have to look out for bears, moose and some of the biggest mosquitos in the world, as well as tackle lethal rapids.
He is also just learning to canoe, having limited experience of rowing.
John, of Inverkeithing, said: “I’m apprehensive and I’m absolutely sure that for the first couple of nights I’ll be sleeping with one eye open.
“But I’m exciting and it’s now getting to the stage it’s very real, it’s just days away rather than months.”
The Yukon Territory is home to 17,000 black and grizzly bears as well as moose, wolves and wolverines.
John said: “The first obvious danger is the river itself. It’s a big powerful river and although there’s nothing really technical there are various tributaries and islands.
“The wildlife is probably the biggest danger, bears being the obvious one, but I’ve heard that moose can be just as dangerous.
“I’ve had a few sleepless nights thinking about the bears.”
The team, of which John is the only member from Scotland, will have to prepare for temperatures which can dip to freezing at night but rise to 25 degrees during the day.
With only a few sparsely populated settlements along the way, they will also need to ensure they have enough supplies to last more than a fortnight packed into their two-man canoes.
Alongside running, cycling and working out in the gym, John has embarked on canoe training at Loch Ore.
He will wave goodbye to wife Sarah and three-year-old daughter Freya to set off for Canada on August 4 on the challenge of a lifetime.
His adventure can be followed on Instagram @wecanyukon or Facebook at WeCanYukon or to donate visit
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/WeCanYukon
.
